To ask you all to Guy Fawkes it up with me regarding the Energy Price increases?

[Justshabbynochic]

Energy price increases...no one is doing anything about it. It's unjust, immoral, and greedy. These are resources which should be available to us all freely, and yet there are people who will freeze in their homes this Winter.

I've mithered over it, chewed on it, thought about it a lot. Lost sleep over it. What, if anything, can we, THE PEOPLE, do about this?

And then it hit me this morning...

"Remember, remember the 5th of November..."

Why don't we make them remember Bonfire Night for another reason...the day we all stood up against the greedy Energy suppliers, the day we made the government take notice of us, that we will NOT sit here and let vulerable people freeze to death in their homes.

The goverment should be investing in alternative energy resources, not allowing a select few to benefit from the price increases.

Mumsnetters, I need your help.

I'm just a lowly healthcare assistant on maternity leave and Mumsnet is very dear to me. I've been here a long time (Pombears, Yoni, River of Sweetcorn, Save the kittens in the bin, etc.) and I know if I'm going to get anywhere with this, it's going to be with you lot.

Here is what I'm proposing...on the 5th of November, from 6-8 pm, we turn everything off. No electricity, no heat. No TVs, hairdryers, radios, radiators, or refridgerators.

We flip the switch.

It's not about them losing money, it's about enough people all over the country doing something all together to show them we have a voice, our numbers count, and we can make a stand. Make them notice us.

Most of us will be out celebrating Bonfire Night so I'm hoping it wouldn't be too inconvenient for two hours that evening.

It's only gonna work if I can get lots of support, and to this I know I am risking proper humiliation if no one gets behind me.

Is anyone with me? And if you are, could we start brainstorming ways in which to get this out there? Social Networking, word-of-mouth,etc.?

I just don't want to sit back, moan about it, but not do anything about it anymore. I'm hoping some of you feel the same way.

Sorry, I had no intention of causing anyone to leave the peaceful protest. I wanted to make you all aware though in case someone decided to start a march or use the masks and they got wrongly associated. Don't use the masks, don't march and you won't be associated. The planned march might be a flop anyway. I just get their news popping up on my FB wall so I know it’s happening.

Yes they don't work. That's why we all struggle to pay our poll tax and Mark Duggan's death has been effectively hushed up.

And of course peaceful protest works which is why there was no war in Iraq.

Peaceful protest of this type does nothing except send a message to the people in charge that public response to exploitation will be so weak and flaccid they might as well ratchet it up a bit.

And what is the one word that is most associated with poll Tax and the death of Mark Duggan.

Riot.

That is the one thing that people remember most. Many people involved in the London (and elsewhere) protests didn't know and frankly didn't give a shit about one man's death. Were the poll tax protests seriously 100% full off people so upset about the tax or did they also involve people out for a fight and a bit of fun?
That's the beauty of peaceful protest, it can be organised and controlled, there is less of a chance of idiots getting onto Twitter or FB and organising a takeover of people just peacefully turning off their electricity for a couple of hours and spreading the message, unlike a protest, however noble the cause, which can be overrun with drunken bigoted arseholes within a very short space of time.

Sorry i havent read whole thread. And i do see what youare trying to do. But i just wondered if anyone had checked just how much difference its likely to make? If you think of all the buisness that are still workibg at that time. Shops. Call centres. Restaurants cinemas, etc. Even office buildings that only have security in them. They will still be using a lot of power. And assumibg you can get 20percent of households buying into this ? I have a feeling it might not be much? Unless uou can get buisness to take it up too?

Ok just found a website saying 20percent of power in the usa is residential. Assuming we have a similar usage. And uou can get 20 percentdoing this thats 4 percent of the countrys power use.
Of course if you can get enough enthusiasm from enough people that could be 50 percent. Therefore 10 percent of power.

Nice idea...but what's the point? You said yourself most people will be out at firework displays anyway so how would this be any different to any other 5th November? Or am I completely missing the point?

I'm in. #FawkesOff!!!

Very unexpectedly my MIL who was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer a few years ago, has taken a massive turn for the worst just in the last few hours...she went into hospital for something different and we were pulled in a side room by the consultant and told the news about 2 pm...my partner is at her bedside now and I have just come home with the children.

It's obviously taken the wind out of my sails as it puts everything into a different perspective and so I'm going to have to bow out of my own cause...

thanks for the support behind my cause. Someday when it's more appropriate I'll follow through, hopefully!